.C. Fed eration strikes at LBR on jurisdiction Led by the executive of the B.C. Federation of Labor, a delega- tion of AFL and CIO unionists will seek an interview with the pro- vincial cabinet in the near future to request that the provincial Labor Relations Board be instructed “‘to cease and desist from, granting juris- diction when considering applications for certification.” The union resolution, outcome ference in Pender Auditorium this 1 of a BCFL-sponsored protest con- week, requests the government to order the LRB to “‘confine themselves to the question: have the ma- jority of the workers involved selected the applicant union as_ their bargaining agency?” Action resulted from recent rulings. of Labor Relations Board which decided what union a worker must join in order to be represented before management. Trade unionists believe this violation of a funda- mental right of workers is con- trary to clauses in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. “LRB was established by virtue of the ICA Act to administer the act as written, but in practice has taken away this fundamental right of workers by deciding what union a worker must join in order to be represented before manage- ment,” the resolution states. The protest conference, attended by 82 delegates from AFL and CCL unions, was chaired by Bill Stewart, president of the B.C. Fed- eration of Labor (CCL). Following a report by.George Home on pre- vious discussions and correspond-, ence with LRB on the unjust rul- ing, a general discussion was held, during which a number of dele- gates urged that the ruling must be fought, not only in discussions with the cabinet and MLAs, but “right on the job.” Delegates reaffirmed support of a decision made by B.C. Fed- eration of Labor in convention last year, pledging Support to any union that became involved with the LRB over this issue, Any union that strikes a job because it has a majority but is refused recognition by LRB, will receive full support from CCL unions. : Prior to a delegation going to Victoria to meet the cabinet, all unions will be circularized to ac- quaint them with the decisions of the conference and urge them to | elections prepare for a fight on the issue. BILL STEWART LPP to contest two byelections —TORONTO The Labor-Progressive party’s national office announced here this week that local LPP organizations had proposed nomination of LPP candidates to contest federal by- in Toronto-Greenwood and Montreal-Laurier on October 24. The statement added: “The na- tional executive has endorsed these proposals and also is inquiring about the possibility of nomination in other ridings.” ISSUE DIES AT UBCM wives of ploperty owners. discrimination. a stand were also silent—R. K. Labor MLA from Fernie. Women aldermen are silent on civic vote for women At the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention here this week three womem deserted the rest of the women in British Columbia by sitting tight and saying nothing. The three women are all prominent in public affairs—Mayor Norah Arnold of Prince Rupert, Alderman Elizabeth Wood of New Westminster, and Alderman Margaret Christie of Victoria, The issue was that of granting the municipal vote to the There was practically no discussionn on the issue, none of the three prominent women spoke. could have won against the opposition they would certainly have aroused, but by putting up a fight they could have rallied women throughout the province to, demand removal of this long-standing They missed the opportunity—presumably be- cause they didn’t want to take it. Other delegates who might also have been expected to take Trades and Labor Council; -Garfield King, who earlier fought successfully on civil liberties; and Mayor Tom Uphill, veteran Mayor Norah Arnold was more interested in the incidence of bootlegging by Prince Rupert taxi drivers than with the rights of her own sex; and similarly Tom Uphill allowed! his concern for banning two-bit hootchy-koochy shows to obscuire the importance of winning the franchise for women. —VICTORIA, B.C. and It is doubtful if they Gervin, secretary of Vancouver CMS stand in Trail obstacle © amalgamation . By L. BOGIE TRAIL, B.C. Ratepayers of Shavers Bench have voted wellnigh unanimously to start the necessary steps for amalgamation with the city of Trail. Meet- ing in their loce community hall this‘week, citizens of the Bench came to the conclusion that the inadequate water system now operating made a move to amalgamate almost an inevitable step. The water system supplying the Bench is privately owned and in the. past two years has proven in- capable of meeting the needs of the rapidly-growing community. The problem confronting Shavers Bench is one that faces all the small settlements surrounding Trail. Main factor that has kept them from seeking amalgamation up, to this time is the certainty of higher taxation. They balance this against service gains they would benefit from, such as fire protection, police patrol and gar- bage disposal. Most homeowners in the small communities realize that greater centralization would mean im- provements in public services, but they feel there is a limit to what people should have to pay for such services. In Trail, of all places, this should not present a problem. One of the richest companies in the world, Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company, operates a huge smelter within 200 yards of the main street. . Were the money from the smelter spread through the com- munity as thoroughly as the smoke and smells, homeowners wouldn’t have to worry about high taxes. The situation is the very op- posite. To escape paying a just share of local taxes, the company incorporated the plant area plus a residential area to the north ‘|into the municipality \of Tadanac, where it has remained.tax free (as far as the city is concerned) for many years. The forming of a metropolitan area is the next logical step for citizens here, but to achieve this successfully and with a prospect of lowering taxes on homes, Tad- anac must be brought in along’ with the other outlying communi- ties. “SOCIALISM IN THE MAKING’ Youth delegates see new Hungary at work By JIM LEECH BUDAPEST Delegates to the Second World Youth Congress last week scatter- ed in all directions through the provinces of the People’s Repub- lic in Hungary where they had every opportunity to see for them- selves the workers and the peas- ants in their homes and at their work. ‘Without exception we were feted and feasted at every stop, greeted with embraces, cheers, handclasps, gifts and flowers. At concert- meetings amid .the- applause of young and old, we told the Hun- garian people about our own coun- tries and answered their direct questions. x Everywhere We were urged to earry to the Canadian people the desire for peace we have found everywhere in this new Hungary, for there is nothing here to hide. What these people are not proud of they are working mightily to ‘ers live change through their three-year plan (accomplished in two years, five months) and the _ inspiring five-year plan being launched. From the large towns to the smallest village reconstruction is sweeping Hungary in the form of workers’ homes, hospitals, schools, bridges and highways. “The number of women in public office is what impresses me,” com- mented Reva Steinberg of Toronto. She visited an experimental state farm, which had been built up to support 11,000 head of stock from war-ruined lands, and telling me about it, she said: “The farm- in lovely cottages with inside plumbing, electricity and radios. The farm itself is divided into nine departments and each has its own village close to the work area. There’s a primary school and high school, and for university training the young people go to the city.’ Helen Elenuk of Hamilton was struck by the modern homes being built and the electricity in the rural areas of Sopron near the Austrian border. v ‘John and Stella Moscow of Tor- onto travelled and spoke in Hun- gary’s great rice-growing area in Bihar province near the Ruman- ian border. ‘“Hungary grows all her own rice,” (and it’s a popular dish) they informed us, “and 70 percent of it comes from Bihar although there was none grown in the country before the war.” During their tour they also visit- ed a factory where beet sugar is refined; elsewhere a newly built and equipped maternity hospital for a town of 11,000 and a new X-ray equipment for two other towns. Here was also a creche flor the benefit of workers’ chil- dren. At Simontornja the writer visit- ed a leather factory employing about 550 workers, which was or- iginally built in 1870. We were shown machines, however, which are the newest in Europe for split- ting hides. Modern Hungarian- Made generators, run by Hungar- ian coal, produced part. of the electricity for the town. The workers receive four weeks paid holidays and during illness get 70 percent of their wages plus doctor’s expenses. At 60 years they are pensioned unless they wish otherwise, and in case of failing health, receive their pension at 50 years. At Dunafoldvar I stood with my British companion and the Young Workers and Pioneers, looking down at the railway tracks on a great steel bridge which plunged into the middle of the Danube. Fascist bridge destruction in Hun- gary is a-common sight; some 750 were destroyed, but more than 600 are now rebuilt. We.signed’ a book in their dyn-| amic five-year plan, but we don’t worry for the Hungarians. The thing we have come to know here above all, is the determined op- timism of a free and forward- moving people building for so- cialism. : Double-deal charged to IWA heads International Woodworkers of America leaders will sign the worst contract in their union’s nist ory if they succeed in persuading hastily-called meetings of locals in B.C. that the operators’ program offers “the very best basis of set tlement.” At the very moment IWA second- string organizers were touring camps and mills urging woodwork- ers to reject the “infamous pro- posals” of the lumber barons, TWA President Stewart Alsbury was ré- opening, cap-in-hand, negotiations with the operators on the basis of scrapping the union’s program. ~ Woodworkers Industrial Union officers, who had publicly sup- ported the IWA’s previous rejec- tion of conciliation board recom- mendations and urged its mem- bers to cooperate with IWA rank- and-file in preparations for strike action, have condemned the about-face tactics of Alsbury and denounced the proposed contrac’ as “a swindle”. cee In a statement to B.C. wood- workers issued this week, WIU) leadet's exposed Alsbury’s capitu- lation in blunt words: “When the conciliation board flatly refused every demand made by the workers, Alsbury played )mock heroics for a week. He bor- rowed the words of a fighting man, called for a rejection of the award and urged a strike vote. Then at the very moment when the work- €rs were voting to continue the fight for a wage hoist this year, Alsbury was busy meeting . the bosses in secret sessions behind closed doors, conniving with then to dump the union’s program. | “Proof? Here it is. The concilia- tion board’s award was handed down on August 20. On Wednesday, August 24, the IWA policy commit- tee publicly announced they. were recommending that the award be rejected. On Satuiday, August 27, voting on rejection of the award commenced and was continued in- to the following week. On Monday, August 29, arrangements were made to resume negotiations with the bosses on the ‘basis of a new formula fathered by the Tory-Lib- eral department of labor. That for- mula, was to dump the union’s pro- gram. ‘ “And then to cover up this in- famous back-door deal, Alsburty called on the workers to share the guilt by accepting the bosses’ terms,- declaring that the proposed swin- dle is ‘the very best basis of settle- ment’, ‘ “The proposed contract which. Alsbury is now striving to, rail- road through gives the workers -less than nothing, It does not grant a single concession with the exception of a 25-cents-a-day reduction in camp board rates— a 50 percent refund of what the boss loggers swiped from camp cookhouse boarders a year ago. Instead of a wage increase of 15 cents an hour, the proposed con- tract sanctions a wage cut of ap- proximately $2 a week; this in face of further increases in living costs.” ‘ At press time, IWA locals were voting on acceptance or rejection of the proposed contract. Some sparsely attended meetings had al- ready agreed. At Mission, where the IWA claims a membership of 830, only 30 right-wingers turned up at a local meeting to endorse Alsbury’s proposals. What the men on the job will do remains to be seen, Opposition to acceptance of the contract was voiced at a meeting! of 350 members of IWA Local 1-217, which claims moie than 4,000 mem- bers. Alsbury supporters shouted down criticism from the floor and rushed through a motion support- ing the proposal. There are indications that a strong battle against the sell-out contract may develop in scores of camps and many mills throughout the province. The issue will un- doubtedly be raised at the IWA international convention which — Sbeus 3 Vancouver on September. ‘ PACIFIC TRIBUNE — SEPTEMBER ‘16, 1949 — PAGE 6